Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., who wore prosthetic legs, was a true trailblazer for the disability community. He became one of the world’s leading advocates for people with disabilities and served as disability advisor to eight U.S. presidents. His work was influenced by his time with the Red Cross at Walter Reed Army Hospital, which at the time housed the only military amputee center in the country. Dr. Viscardi taught wounded soldiers how to walk on artificial limbs; set up the first dance for enlisted men who were amputees, leading to formal dancing classes; and held driving classes for amputees to support them in daily living and pursuing employment.
Following this work, Colonel Howard Rusk arranged for Dr. Viscardi to work at an Air Force rehabilitation center. His efforts there led to an expansion and upgrade of the Walter Reed amputee program, as well as a request by the Surgeon General’s Office for the National Research Council to set up a committee to work on the improvement of artificial limbs. This was the beginning of a program established by the armed forces and the Veterans Administration that went on to provide the disabled solider with the finest prosthetics the world had ever known.
In 1952, encouraged by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, businessman Bernard Baruch, and Dr. Rusk, Dr. Viscardi sought to ignite inclusion through access to meaningful employment. The organization he founded broke new ground as one of the first in the world staffed primarily by people with disabilities and wounded veterans. It demonstrated they had the skills and abilities to be successful, productive employees by providing assembly and factory work for several industry giants. In one year, Dr. Viscardi created new jobs for 57 disabled men and women, sold nearly $200,000 worth of goods, and closed out that first year with a $48,000 profit, paying off his investors with reserve funds to spare. Within five years, the organization had grown to a million-dollar business with more than three hundred employees and a shining new plant of its own. Services expanded in the early 1960s to include vocational training and job placement for all people with disabilities.
In 1962, Dr. Viscardi established an accredited, model school for students with disabilities. This was particularly noteworthy, as prior to the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1975, education options for children with disabilities were significantly limited. Now bearing his name, the Henry Viscardi School is an alternative, accessible traditional educational choice for parents and a resource to school districts that cannot accommodate the academic, health, and assistive technology needs of children with significant orthopedic disabilities, many of whom require life-sustaining medical treatment and extensive support throughout the day.
Dr. Viscardi raised four daughters with his wife Lucile on Long Island, and was a gifted orator and avid sailor. His legacy lives on as The Viscardi Center continues his mission to educate, employ, and empower children and adults with disabilities.
Read all 35 stories of the New York-based leaders profiled in our ADA 35 edition.